Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many employers have had enforcement action taken against them for retaliating against (a) employees and (b) other contracted workers for actions those workers have taken to self-isolate due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
It is critically important that the following people stay at home and self-isolate immediately: anyone who has tested positive with COVID-19, anyone who has been contacted by NHS Test and Trace or their local authority, and anyone who has returned from abroad and is required to quarantine.
The Government has developed guidance on employment rights and self-isolation so that workers and employers are clear about their rights and obligations. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/if-you-need-to-self-isolate-or-cannot-attend-work-due-to-coronavirus.
In addition, anyone who is due to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating (normally their home) must inform their employer that they are required to self-isolate. An individual can receive a Fixed Penalty Notice of £50 for not doing so.
It is an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating. If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, ranging from £1,000 to £10,000.
Local Authorities provide written and verbal advice to businesses to enable them to comply with their obligations. Enforcement action is taken against employers who do not follow this advice and who do not take reasonable steps to ensure that their workers who must be self-isolating are not working from outside their home.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to provide security for workers that they will not be retaliated against by (a) employers and (b) providers of work on a non-employment basis as a result of actions to self-isolate due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
It is critically important that the following people stay at home and self-isolate immediately: anyone who has tested positive with COVID-19, anyone who has been contacted by NHS Test and Trace or their local authority, and anyone who has returned from abroad and is required to quarantine.
The Government has developed guidance on employment rights and self-isolation so that workers and employers are clear about their rights and obligations. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/if-you-need-to-self-isolate-or-cannot-attend-work-due-to-coronavirus.
In addition, anyone who is due to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating (normally their home) must inform their employer that they are required to self-isolate. An individual can receive a Fixed Penalty Notice of £50 for not doing so.
It is an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating. If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, ranging from £1,000 to £10,000.
Local Authorities provide written and verbal advice to businesses to enable them to comply with their obligations. Enforcement action is taken against employers who do not follow this advice and who do not take reasonable steps to ensure that their workers who must be self-isolating are not working from outside their home.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to (a) continue and (b) extend the scope of the Warm Home Discount scheme, after the current scheme finishes at the end of March 2021.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
We will consult on a one-year extension of the current Warm Home Discount scheme later this year. We will also consider reform to improve the fuel poverty targeting of the scheme beyond 2022, and will consult on this in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the powers available to officials to ensure that prices charged by vendors for basic household goods do not rise unreasonably during temporary local shortages.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Competition and Markets Authority issued a public statement on 5 March to reassure businesses and consumers that it is monitoring retail practices during the coronavirus outbreak and will take direct enforcement action, or advise the Government to take additional measures, if it is required.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 2 October to Question 290776 on Rain Forests: Amazonia, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the (a) degradation of carbon sinks and (b) deforestation in the Amazon rainforest on the timeframe for the UK's transition to a net-zero economy.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The timeframe for the UK's transition to achieving our domestic net-zero target is not dependent on reducing degradation and deforestation in the Amazonia rainforest. However, BEIS continues to support work on the supply chain impacts of UK consumption of key commodities such as soya, as well as work to reduce deforestation and restore forests in Amazonia countries.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 2 October 2019 to Question 290776 on Rain Forests: Amazonia, what assessment her Department has made of recent trends in the level of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
The UK is concerned by data that suggests a surge in forest fires in the Amazon rainforest in 2019. Whilst the data is complex there is evidence that indicates this surge in fires follows months of accelerated deforestation. In recent years we have seen some evidence that climate change is making forest fires more frequent and severe in Amazon countries and elsewhere. Unlike previous years when El Niño caused severe droughts, climatic conditions were probably not a significant factor this year’s increase in fires.
Amazon countries are established key partners for the UK in our collective efforts to promote sustainable growth, tackle deforestation and mitigate climate change. As stated in my response on 2 October 2019, the UK supports a number initiatives, as part of multilateral climate funds and the UK’s bilateral relationship with several Amazon countries, that aim to: i) improve the capacity of governments to reduce deforestation; ii) incentivise forest protection through results based payments; iii) enable businesses and communities to grow rural economies sustainably whilst protecting standing forests.
These initiatives continuously monitor and implement mitigation strategies for risks, such as increasing deforestation, in the course of their ongoing activities.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies of recent trends in the level of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
BEIS is supporting a number of community, business and government-led initiatives, as part of the UK’s bilateral relationship with Brazil, that help increase the value of Brazil’s standing forest, promote the sustainability of agricultural production systems, and restore deforested land.
Implementation arrangements for these initiatives regularly assess how deforestation levels, and the underlying drivers, are changing relative to recent trends. BEIS officials work closely with teams in the UK’s Embassies in Brazil to routinely monitor progress, risks and opportunities.
Initiatives include:
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of recent trends in the level of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
Answered by Kwasi Kwarteng
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timeframe is for the publication of the Government’s response to the public consultation on extending redundancy protection for pregnant women and new parents.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The consultation closed on 5th April 2019. We are currently analysing responses and will set out next steps in due course.